Colin Powell's Suggested Response to Voter ID Laws: Register, Vote & Defeat Voter ID SupportersVoter ID Laws are the tip of the Suppression of Democracy Iceberg, with the remainder of the Iceberg consisting of gerrymandering and support of SCOTUS 5-4 campaign financing and repeal of voter rights decisions. Many of the states with unrealistic Voter ID laws have unrealistically gerrymandered their congressional districts and would be unlikely to support Constitutional Amendments to overturn the Citizens United, McCutcheon... 2

Nina Beety: ISIL is not Muslim, says senior State Department officialWho and what are ISIL? What is the source of the terrorism in the Middle East? On March 6, State Department Special Envoy Daniel Rubenstein stated that ISIL is not Muslim. Evidence from intelligence experts, Iraqi Parliament, and a mainstream media source show that ISIL is a creation of the West, receiving supplies, protection, and sponsorship by the West and its allies. What does this mean? Where is this headed? 2

Jeb Bush to Visit an Iowa Where Fatigue With His Family Has Set InSheryl McDonald, a retiree, voted for both Presidents Bush. "But I'm finding out they did some things we got stuck with," she said. "I do not want to see Jeb Bush run," she added. "He turns me off."
Scarcely anyone at a meeting of the Green County Republican Party here in central Iowa recently had anything kind to say about Mr. Bush, the former Florida governor. They objected to his moderate stances on immigration and educa...

France's National Front: Marine Le Pen's party is leading in the polls ahead of next month's local electionsThe popularity of France's National Front party continues to grow apace, with a new poll placing Marine Le Pen's party as favourites in next month's local elections. According to an Ifop survey commissioned by Le Figaro newspaper, the National Front enjoy the support of 30 per cent of the public, ahead of a combined score of 28 per cent for the conservative UMP and centrist UDI parties. President Francois Hollande's Socialist ... 2

Understanding SyrizaAn extensive interview with Tom Vouloumanos, a Greek-Canadian and a member of Syriza's International Solidarity Campaign, on his work and on Syriza's ideology. Includes Syriza's concepts of socialism and democracy and Vouloumanos' own personal reasons to join the Campaign. 5

New online action for Albert Woodfox launched today by Amnesty International; Please sign!Today, Amnesty Intl. USA initiated a new petition in support of Albert Woodfox's Feb. 6 bail request that he filed in response to the favorable Fifth Circuit Court ruling on Feb. 3 that denied Louisiana AG Buddy Caldwell's appeal of Albert's third overturned conviction. Urging people to sign the new petition launched today, Jasmine Heiss of Amnesty Intl USA declares: "Allowing Albert his freedom is the only just and humane act...

Jeb Bush's Eye-Popping Event: $100,000 Per Ticket"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will raise money on Wall Street on Wednesday at an eye-popping $100,000 per-ticket Park Avenue event hosted by private equity mogul Henry Kravis and his wife.
"The price of admission to the event, which will raise funds for Bush's 'Right to Rise' super PAC, surprised even Wall Street veterans used to high-dollar fundraisers." 1

France's Pro-White Party Seizes The Moment -- And The Youth"'I've always had these ideas,' Froger said. The Front National gave her somewhere to fit them. At first, when Leborgne got to college she didn't admit that she was a member. 'I didn't say I was, because I was afraid they would react badly,' she said, referring to other students. 'But when I said it, nothing changed.' Encouraging poll numbers, a changing, more youthful image, and a fearful political and economic climate: These...

European American genomes 98.6 percent EuropeanNow in the largest study of its kind conducted so far, researchers at 23andMe and Harvard University have published the results of a genetic analysis of ancestry among the American people. The study itself is quite impressive, conducted with 160,000 people who agreed to allow their data to be used anonymously for research purposes... Such huge sample numbers, which are "an order of magnitude bigger" according to an author of t...

Pegida marches: 25,000 join anti-Islamification protests in Germany following Paris attacksGermany's growing anti-Islamic protest movement registered its largest attendance on Monday with 25,000 supporters turning out in what organisers described as a tribute to the victims of the terror attacks in Paris. Pegida started out in mid-October with a demonstration in Dresden attended by about 200 supporters. In early December it attracted 15,000 supporters. On 22 December a record 17,500 attended the movement's weekly Mo...

In Kenya, Baby Elephant Fights to Survive After Poachers Poisoned Her Mother"MASAI MARA, Kenya--One day last October, a mother elephant and her ten-month-old calf were seen playing together on the plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve when a passing tourist photographed the tranquil scene. Twenty-four hours later, on October 22, the young calf was spotted again--this time standing over her mother's poisoned carcass, seemingly reluctant to leave her side. The young calf had her head down, and her t... 1

Iceland to Withdraw EU Application: Prime Minister"Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was cited as saying that participation in EU talks isn't valid any more. MOSCOW, January 6 (Sputnik) -- Iceland is expected to withdraw its application to become a member of the European Union, the Reykjavik Grapevine reported Monday, citing the country's prime minister. In an interview with the Icelandic Morgunbladid newspaper on Monday, Birgir Armannsson, chairman of the... 2

New rules create "Chicken Disneyland": New state law requires commercial egg producers to modify cages"Frank Hilliker stood inside a henhouse at his Lakeside ranch this week surrounded by 8,000 chickens milling about as they pleased. 'I call this Chicken Disneyland,' Hilliker said, surveying the open space inside the 30-by-190 foot building where the birds -- previously kept in small cages -- now roam freely. The changes at Hilliker's Ranch Fresh Egg are being echoed up and down the state as a new law takes effect that essenti...

Nearly a third of Germans think Pegida protests justifiedBerlin (dpa) - Nearly a third of Germans support the protests against foreigners that have been swelling in the country in recent weeks, a survey published Thursday in German news magazine Stern showed. The survey, carried out by German polling firm Forsa, showed that 29 per cent of the population think that the marches organized by the so-called Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (Pegida) movement are ju...

Danny Weil: *Corporate Democrats aid and abet Ecuadorian CriminalsEstefana Isaas was barred from coming to the United States after she was caught fraudulently obtaining visas for her maids. Then, shebang, the State Department under former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton interceded and wrote letters opposing the ban so that Ms. Isaas could work for an Obama fund-raiser with close ties to the administration. 4

How the Fiscal Cliff has been Exacerbated by Fast-Track-Enabled Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)Days before the 2002 vote on Fast Track Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), predicted that its passage would:
Be the most important tax cut of the next decade,
Create millions of jobs,
Boost the financial markets,
Secure democratic governments throughout the Western Hemisphere,
Reduce the pressures of mass immigration,
Be greatest economic stimulus we can ask for,
Give the president a powerfu...

1,825 Officer-Involved Killings Between 2007 and 2012More than 550 law-enforcement killings were not included in FBI statistics between 2007 and 2012, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal, which concluded it is nearly impossible to tally how many people are killed by police officers in any given year.
Police killings have come under increased scrutiny following a spate of fatal shootings, most notably the August shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Miss... 1

BREAKING! Albert Woodfox's Overturned Conviction Upheld in Unanimous 5th Circuit RulingWe are thrilled and honored to announce that just hours ago, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Judge Brady's 2013 ruling overturning Albert's conviction for a third time in a 3-0, unanimous decision. Though the courts have finally ruled in the interest of justice, it may still be months or years before this innocent man is released from his solitary cell. This is THE moment those of us whose lives have been touched by th... 1

Neal Herrick: Government reform, the quality of life and the Convention of States (COS)The 4th of 4 articles on factors that correlate positively with quality of life. Factors are chosen by the availability of relevant data concerning them and because of their sensitivity to public policy. They are, in the order of correlation: governmental honesty, democracy, union density and competitiveness. We comment on policy implications of the data and relevance of the mostly Republican Convention of States(COS) project.

Israeli army uses Gaza children as human shieldsThere is no evidence behind the claim that Hamas has used civilians as "human shields" during its ongoing war against Israel. These accusations, though unsubstantiated, have pervaded in the mainstream media throughout Operation Protective Edge, and during previous conflicts. Yet seldom does the media consider the possibility that Israel, not Hamas, is responsible for using human shields - despite the fact that there is far mor...

Putin Signs Law Criminalizing ProtestOn 22nd July, Putin reinforced the already harsh legislation against protest in Russia. Holding a political rally is now considered a criminal offence - a dangerous precedent indeed, and one that contravenes international human rights legislation. This latest step furthers earlier changes that were made in April, giving the euphemistic charge of "disruptions to public order" a minimum jail sentence of four years. Many act...